


To The Abandoned Throne

by CultMother



Series: The Miraculous Chronicles [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Brutal, Dark, Hawkmoth Defeat, Lila Rossi with new Miraculous, miraculous swap, romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-11-08 21:16:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20842118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CultMother/pseuds/CultMother
Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir disappeared overnight. Hawkmoth is no longer a threat, but Fairfeather has been tormenting the streets of Paris ever since his disappearance, demanding the release of three miraculouses; Paris is in trouble. Master Fu is gone, having disappeared without even a note or a trace hint of where he was going and the citizens of Paris are in despair;Yet somewhere, in two different parts of the world, two very special Miraculouses appeared out of thin air... but why?Will they be returned to their original owners?[Sequel to Defeatism]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter will have more OCs, but the second chapter and the rest will be mostly Marinette/Adrien! Don't worry, this chapter is just the setup. It might be a little confusing to follow at first, but it'll be more clear later!

It was a normal day in Toronto, Ontario, for a certain seventeen-year-old girl. Charlotte Gauthier sat at her marble counter, awaiting a call from her best friend; the one she had flown to France with startling urgency. Charlotte wore nothing but a bathrobe, seeing as the wound on her stomach had  _ just  _ been stitched up. She felt groggy, but the pain pills helped her out with that; the doctors had  _ attempted  _ to get her to stay in bed, but her mother’s investment empire never slept, so she shouldn’t, either. The familiar ring of a call resounded around the room as an icon with her best friend, Naomi’s, face popped up on the screen. She clicked the green  _ call  _ button and there Naomi was, set up in an apartment in France. “Thank you for  _ everything,  _ Charlotte. This is just until they catch him. You know, Jack. Then I can come back and use my Miraculous again.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t let you take it.”

“It’s not a problem,  _ really _ . The Miraculouses belong to you. You’re the guardian. Besides, the one you gave me isn’t even the one you  _ wanted  _ to give me.”

“Hey! I think we work well together, don’t you?!” Gahvi, the panther Kwami, came onto the screen. He got right up in the camera’s face, examining it, before hopping back for some distance, only to move up again. He was playing with the camera, which went in and out of focus until Charlotte grabbed him. 

“Not helping, Gahvi.”

The little Kwami struggled, but failed to get out of Charlotte’s grip. “So you’re still putting on all of the miraculouses, I see.” In the background, behind the computer, Charlotte looked up. There were Kwamis baking, arguing, even fighting over who gets to stir the spoon or taste the batter- and everything went quiet as they all seemingly blinked in unision. 

“I mean,  _ no,  _ who would do that? Haha, that would be  _ totally  _ irresponisble of me as a guardian! You know me, right? I’d never do something so stupidly irresponsible as to wear all of them at once like my mother specifically told me  _ not  _ to.” 

“I can  _ see  _ the accessories, Charlotte.” 

Charlotte sighed. “All right, maybe I do sometimes when it’s just all of us, alone- but I get so lonely, you know? And since you’re gone, I don’t have anyone else in the house other than Wilson, and Wilson doesn’t engage in frivolous chatter. Wilson doesn’t even  _ bake _ .”

“Well, seeing as your mother must pay him a gajillion each day, it makes sense your butler is just that- a very tight-lipped, dedicated working man. Also, even your mother didn’t bake. When are you gonna unfire that chef she fired?”

Charlotte shrugged. “Maybe it’d be better to keep as little people on the property as possible. It’s kind of become a Kwami-sanctuary, you know? Even though we’re missing three, they  _ seem  _ happy here.” 

“Relax, doll. Nobody misses Sibar, so it’s like he was never here in the first place.” The Wolf Kwami, Scriggy, floated on over; he was covered in cake batter from head to toe so the only defining feature- him calling literally anyone  _ doll _ \- was how he was identified.

“That’s kind of rude, don’t you think?” 

“Listen, we’re all from different boxes. I was ripped away from what’s like my  _ family,  _ while Sibar is just a jerk who goes around angrily punching other Kwamis. As far as I’m concerned, good riddance- I don’t want my face punched every time I look at him.” Scriggy shrugged, looking away from the camera. “Getting scolded for something stupid like that… jeez, who  _ cares  _ about Sibar anyways?” 

“Hey! How many times has this been brought up already?! Even though we’re all from different boxes, we’re all we have now! There are  _ no other Miraculouses that we currently know of save for in France!  _ The temple of the Guardians is long gone. Remember how Marie tried to take us there?! We’re all we have. We’re  _ family.  _ So no more arguing about this!” The hippo miraculous, Hopoo, snapped. Scriggy simply rolled his eyes again and muttered something along the lines of ‘ _ And I thought I was pretentious…’ _

Light filled the room, causing Charlotte to block her eyes from going blind for a moment. On the counter, two shiny, sparkling earrings laid; mostly red with black spots. “Um, Naomi? I’m gonna have to call you back.”

“Whatever that flash of light was, why does all the good stuff happen when I’m  _ not  _ there?” Naomi rolled her eyes. “Alright, but you better call me back. Don’t go running off to do hero stuff like you always do and forget about me!” 

Charlotte laughed. “Lest I fear your anger turned unto me, I shalt not forget!”

“Ugh… don’t remind me about our shakespearian English homework, alright?” 

“Sorry!”

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to the hero business. Go, Grey Guardian! Do what you do best!” As her friend disconnected from the call, she faced the iPad down, allowing its screen and camera to hit the marble as she crossed the space toward the earrings, holding them in her hands. She could feel the  _ thrum  _ of energy pulsing through them and she knew- it was a miraculous.

“Huh. None of us have ever been associated with  _ that  _ box, but that looks like the Miraculous of the Ladybug.” Scriggly floated around the rings, examining them thoroughly. “Mine was right next to it, though! I was close to some of the Cardinal Miraculouses.” 

“Wait, something so important coming here?!” Charlotte gasped. “There has to be a reason! This Kwami already had a master, didn’t they?” Charlotte removed the earrings she already had on, gently fastening the Ladybug ones in place. In a glow of light, a new, strange Kwami floated before her, groggy as it swayed back and forth. It opened its eyes to several different Kwamis floating around it and the face of a girl it didn’t know. 

“Wh-Where’s |||||||||?” Bubbles floated out of her mouth, causing her to cough and sputter. “Ew, ew, gross!” 

“I don’t know where your holder is. You kind of just materialized onto my kitchen counter; do you have any idea why?” 

“...I don’t know, the only reason I can think of is that someone other than my holder made a wish! That’s enough to corrupt mine and Plagg’s miraculouses, because we’re supposed to be used  _ together  _ and wished for together, otherwise whoever had us loses us and we’re transported away for our own safety!” Tikki took a moment to spin around, observing all of the Kwamis in the room. “So many Kwamis… so many concepts! All these kwamis, and we didn’t even know they were here…” 

“To be in a box with  _ the  _ Chinese Zodiac miraculouses! That would be amazing! We  _ had  _ the Pheonix from the Box of Mythology, but she’s not here anymore.” Scriggy was talking to himself at that point, dreaming of being in a different box. 

“I  _ have  _ to get back to France. Do you know where I am?” It seemed both Tikki and Charlotte were intent on ignoring Scriggy’s background chatter as she removed Scriggy’s bangle from her wrist and he disappeared. 

“Yeah, you’re in Canada- and don’t worry, Ladybug, I promise I’ll get you back to your hero!” Charlotte nodded, starting to take off all of her more intense accessories. “Safely and securely, I’m not prone to using public transportation, after all. You’re in safe hands, bug!”

“My name is Tikki! Sorry for the rush introduction, it’s just of the utmost importance I get back to my holder immidiately!” 

“It’s alright, Tikki! I understand. Now, Hopoo, Stomp Down!” 

Hopoo swirled around Charlotte, twice over, before finally going into the bow that kept her hair tied in a braid. Her hair unfurled as the bow disappeared, her blonde hair slowly turning from golden to grey. She snapped her fingers, crossing her arms- as they touched one another, gloves ran up the lengths of her arms and she spun, reaching out to one leg and allowing stockings to form along with heavy combat boots. She touched the other leg along three points, a shorter stocking with another similar combat boot with a white colored string compared to the other grey colored string. She brought both hands up her body, a dress forming as she did, connecting to the gloves along the length of her arms. She masked her face with her hands, drawing them inwards as light consumed her face and a greyish mask formed. She patted the top of her head and little latex hippo ears formed, only to spin around, the bow forming on the curve of her back and tying the ensemble together nicely as her little tail swished and flicked. She finished it off with two powerful stomps, first the right leg, then the left- and her transformation was complete. “All right, okay! Let’s get you saved, you cute little bug, you!” She was slightly different from when she was unmasked, but she held a hammer in her hands- one with a neat little pink bow wrapped around it, standing out from all of the grey. “It’s nice to meet you formally, Tikki! I’m the Grey Guardian, and me and my partners will be seeing you home! You can count on us!” 


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Chat Noir and Ladybug had disappeared. Everything was calm- there wasn’t a single Akuma, not since last week during Adrien Agreste’s fashion show. However, for two teens in Paris, it would be some time before they saw their kwamis again…

Marinette was depressed. She didn’t feel like getting out of bed, but at the same time, she knew Tikki had to be found. She had gone back every night, searching, hoping that she’d find her miraculous- the only place she  _ hadn’t  _ searched was inside the venue. It wasn’t that hard to sneak past her parents- they weren’t helicopter parents or anything, just normal, sometimes-nosy sometimes-not adults. Her father was busy talking to her mother about something taxes or other. 

As Marinette raced through the streets of Paris at night, she made sure to keep a close eye on the ground. If anyone had found Tikki, surely they’d have shown up as a new Ladybug now? But there hadn’t even been a  _ hint.  _ Even as she walked toward the venue, she ducked into a back alley, knowing that there was a back door she’d used a week ago to enter with Adrien as they’d discussed the nature of their plan. 

_ Do you need any help, Ladybug? _

_ No, I’ll be fine. Chat should be here any minute! _

Flashes of the memory of the time she wished she had treasured were back. Her last words to Tikki had been something along the lines of,  _ but it’s Adrien! I have to go, even if it isn’t akuma-related!  _

She had been so blinded by Adrien that she had lost Tikki. She didn’t actually know if that was what had happened, but without her earrings- she would have detransformed, right? The door she had planned on opening…  _ somehow…  _ was already ajar, light spilling from the crack. She gently pried it open, looking down only to see a wedge of wood keeping it open. 

She tip-toed down the hall, straining her ears as she listened for a hint of anyone else. She didn’t hear anyone, so she kept on going only for someone to jump out at her, a pipe aimed at her head. “M-Marinette?” The voice sounded  _ slightly  _ familiar, but she couldn’t put together  _ why.  _ That was strange- that had never happened before. “What are you doing here?”

“Who…  _ are  _ you?” She looked the boy up and down, but he was wearing some kind of  _ halloween  _ costume. Halloween was just around the corner, sure, but this was dollar-store level quality.

“I’m… um, Chat Noir.” 

“Wait,  _ what?  _ Why are you dressed like that then?” 

“It’s kind of a long story. Have you seen a ring around here?” Marinette knew- instantly. Chat Noir’s miraculous was a ring. He was here for the same reason she was. “Uh, nevermind. Why are you here?”

“Uh, I forgot something here… last week.” 

That was strange. He hadn’t recalled seeing Marinette in the crowd last week, even though he’d invited her. “Well, good luck! Seems like we both lost something around here!” Chat turned tail and ran while he still could. It would be best to be Adrien, not Chat, especially if Marinette was looking around. What if she found his ring? He needed a  _ reason  _ to approach her and stay with her for a little while, and Chat Noir didn’t have a good one. As he quickly undressed, shoving the Halloween costume under a dresser, it was as easy as becoming Adrien Agreste yet again. 

He poked his head out of the room, looking from side to side. He’d have to find Marinette and, in the process, find a good excuse for why he was here and perhaps find his ring all while helping a friend- and hopefully getting home and up his bedsheet-rope before his father realized he was out. 

~

“So, you took forever to get this plan in the air. Why the  _ fuck  _ are we going to Paris again?” A rather colorful boy stood beside Charlotte, as the Grey Guardian. “I don’t assume this is a nice,  _ paid  _ vacation for all of this hard work? You do realize I had to lie about a school trip to my parents,  _ right?  _ If they call into the school-” 

“I told you to give them that number, right? It’ll show up as the dean of your school. Don’t worry about it, you won’t get in trouble! We’ll all be  _ fine. _ ” Her bubbly attitude was really dampening his mood. He didn’t want anything to  _ do _ with her, but they were both heroes and  _ she _ , of course, just had to be the Guardian. The  _ leader.  _

“You should just be quiet. I have homework to do and I don’t want to hear you speak.” 

“Of course I will, Chroma!” She flushed red, making him slightly uncomfortable with how close she was. 

“I already told you, I have a woman in mind. Are you dumb? Or are you just wanting to eat punishment? Also, only my _friends _can call me Chroma. To you, I'm Radiant Blaze! 

“It’s a glutton for punishment, not eating punishment.”

“Hey, shut up, Aurelia! Why’d you choose such a dumb, stupid, girly name anyways?” 

There was a third person in the private jet; he was drawing on the window in bright blue marker. All he did was glance at Chroma with what were pretty much empty eyes. “You don’t know much about jellyfish, do you? Oh… hey, are there jelly doughnuts?” The blonde boy tilted his head to the side with his inquiry. 

“Oh, I don’t think so- but we can make a quick uber eats order, the jet doesn’t fly for twenty minutes. They’re still loading luggage and filling up on jet fuel.” 

“Geez, there better be more than just this cabin! If I have to remain in here with a spaced-out weeb and a clingy moron, I don’t think I’ll stay sane for long!” 

“Tsundere.” 

“What the  _ fuck  _ did you say to me, Aurelia?! You know I don’t understand those stupid phrases you’re always saying in that other language!” Chroma stomped over to him, as aggressive as ever as he clutched the boy by the tentacles around his waist. Aurelia shrugged. 

“The reason I chose this name is that it’s the scientific name for  _ actual  _ jellyfish. Aurelia Aurita. As if you have any creativity in your name, either. Baka.” 

“I’d fucking punch you if you could feel pain right now. Take off the miraculous and meet me outside and  _ then  _ say beka or whatever that is.” Aurelia shrugged, but he had a phone in his hand. He’d already ordered the uber eats, so Chroma resigned to snapping his headphones over his ears as heavy metal blared through them. Aurelia glanced at the Grey Guardian. 

“I think you should probably give up on him, you know. He seems to hate you. And, listen, I don’t think we’re  _ friends  _ yet, but you told me that what you are here is nothing like what’s under the mask. I think that’s true for all of us; we’re all different people. We act this way, whether it be bold and powerful,” He nodded to Chroma, “Spaced out and unwilling to take responsibility,” He pressed a hand to his chest, “Or just looking to let loose a little.” 

“You’re surprisingly self-aware, Aurelia. I won’t give up just yet. I’ll hold hope that someday, I’ll be number one in his heart. I don’t think I’ll ever stop liking him.” 

“Maybe you are a little bit stupid.” 

“Hey!” 

“Jelly doughnuts…” His face was smooshed against the glass as he watched someone roll up the tarmac. “Those are my jelly doughnuts…” 

The Grey Guardian glanced out the window, only to see a man struggling to balance multiple boxes. “Wait, just how many did you  _ buy?! _ ”

“You said I could use your card.” 

“Wait, mine?! How many, Aurelia?!”

“I need them. I will miss the taste of our beloved country’s jelly doughnuts. I must bring as many as possible to Paris.” 

“That doesn’t answer my question, you jerk!” But it was too late- Aurelia was already jumping off of the jet and rushing toward the jelly doughnuts. “I wonder what my mother was thinking, making these two my companions…” Charlotte’s face turned somber as she turned to glance at Chroma, his eyes closed as he listened to music. “Tikki, are you all right in there?” 

Tikki flew out of the bag that Charlotte had brought on board with her. “I’m okay! I’m excited to see my holder again! Thank you for doing this. I don’t think most people would go this far!” 

“Well, Tikki, I’m a hero. It’s what heroes do, help people in trouble. I think helping a miraculous in trouble isn’t too hard. Especially when you’re the cutest little sugar bug!” 

~

“Oof!” Marinette rubbed her head as she reeled from bumping into what was yet another mystery. As she opened her eyes to perceive the person she had bumped into, thinking it was Chat, her face turned red. “A-Adrien? What are you… doing h-here?” 

“Oh, hi Marinette! I’m here to find something I’ve lost, but… what are  _ you  _ doing here?” He was here. In the flesh. Adrien Agreste, the boy she saw  _ every  _ day. Jeez, Marinette, get a grip. It wasn’t like he was a  _ god  _ or anything… but god, was he…

“Beautiful…”

“Um… alright?” 

“Well, you see, I’ve lost something too! I’m just trying to find it…” Her blush wasn’t going away. She tried to look anywhere other than him as her heart hammered away in her chest. She was afraid he’d find out, know, see what she really felt and reject her. Her heart dropped as she imagined it all in real-time;  _ rejected.  _ By Adrien. That would ruin their entire friendship! Even if she wanted to confess, she couldn’t yet. It wasn’t like she’d  _ intended  _ to run into him here anyways. 

“We should help each other. What are you looking for?” 

“Um, an umbrella! It’s really important to me, see, I… got it for my birthday?” 

“Oh. Well, don’t worry, I’m sure something like that will turn up- I’m looking for a ring, myself.” 

Marinette paused. Chat Noir was looking for a ring too. But… it couldn’t be more than a coincidence, could it? There was no way… they were just too  _ different _ . She laughed out loud, awkwardly, before slapping a hand over her mouth. Adrien looked at her weirdly. “Oh, I just thought of a funny joke, about, you know, rings.”

“Wanna share?” He gave her a smile. 

“No.” The smile faded. “I mean, I forgot it.” 

“Oh, well, let me know if you remember. I like jokes.” So did Chat. Wait, no, she  _ had  _ to stop comparing the two, there was no way he was Chat Noir. It was just a silly comparison, that was all. The lights flickered to black and Marinette jumped, backing into Adrien, pressing against him. He put his hands on her arms. “Are you okay, Marinette?”

“The lights…!”   
“They shut off around now. I brought flashlights.” He took two out of his pocket, handing one to Marinette as he flicked his on. “The lights can be seen outside, so we have to be kind of stealthy about this.” He hoped the other flashlight would work- it was his favorite color, so he used it the most, but unfortunately, it had a little bit of trouble. Sometimes, it would just shut off and you’d need to smack it to get it working again. So, just in case it stopped, he brought a second. He was surprised things worked out this well- never knew when you needed a spare, after all. 

As they walked through the hall, they found Adrien’s old dressing room- which Marinette shined her flashlight around. “This is where you left whatever you lost, right?”

“Yeah! We could go find your umbrella first if you wanted.”

“Um, it’s okay! I don’t mind helping you first, besides, what you lost has to be important if you’re coming back for it this late.” 

“Yeah, it really is.” They began to search, small talk happening every few minutes or so. They’d combed most of the room when Marinette decided to search underneath the cabinet- only for Adrien to stop her. “Uh, what do you say we take a break? Talk for a little. This can’t be too fun for you, right?”

“Oh, it’s no problem, Adrien!” Her speech had become a little more normal since she had been around him for at least forty minutes now. “I think I’ll go to the bathroom quickly. I’ll be back in a minute.” 

“Alright, Marinette! Be careful!” As she walked away, Adrien sighed, sitting against one of the counters. “At this point…” 

Marinette had walked halfway down the hall when her light began to flicker. Shortly after, it finally went out like a candle doused by water and she was left alone in the darkness. She backed down the hall, noticing that Adrien’s light created a small amount of shine from the room he was in. She was about to ask about more batteries, but she heard him speak. 

“I won’t be able to find Plagg. I won’t be able to see Ladybug anymore, and on top of that, I can already feel the walls of my room closing in on me. Who am I supposed to be if I’m not Chat Noir?” 

Marinette’s eyes widened. Puzzle pieces began to click in place. The flashlight slipped from her fingers, crashing onto the floor and flickering on, causing Adrien to stand up. “M-Marinette?” 


	3. Chapter 3

“U-um, I dropped my flashlight all the way from the end of the hall and it rolled over here! Silly, clumsy me, right? I mean, who knew the building was on a slope?!”

“Oh, yeah…!” Adrien sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he flushed. He almost breathed a sigh of relief at his secret remaining secret. Marinette kept herself together as she gave Adrien a full sentence, for the first time in a  _ long  _ time, without stuttering. 

“I have to go. My parents are wondering where I am, but thank you for trying to help!” She turned on her heel, but Adrien grabbed her arm and Marinette’s face flushed red. 

“Wait, what about your umbrella?” 

“Well, it was a cheap one… from the dollar store… so it doesn’t matter that much! Bye!” 

Adrien stared in disbelief as Marinette dashed down the hall, out of the building itself. “That’s weird. Didn’t she say it was something important she got for her birthday…?” The sound of drips caused Adrien to look up. He could hear it; the pitter-patter of falling rain. “Is she gonna be okay without an umbrella…? Maybe I should’ve brought one too… wait! The bedsheets, they’ll get wet!” He found himself dashing out of the building as well. If those came undone because of the weight when they got soaked, he had no way in! He’d have to explain himself and his father would ground him until the end of time!!

Marinette could feel the trickle of rain running down her face, but she didn’t stop running. She didn’t go home, not at first, at least. She ran, and ran, and ran until her numbness consumed her and she was forced to actually stop, panting for air. 

Adrien is Chat Noir. 

It didn’t sound right, at all, not in her head. She had to say it. But if she said it, that would make it real. Was she  _ prepared  _ for that to be real, to see both of them as one and the same? “Adrien is…” She stared down at her hands. Her tongue felt like it was twisted and the words just wouldn’t come out. What if she had to give back her miraculous, simply because she knew his identity? 

She couldn’t say it out loud. Not now, not ever. But without Tikki there… she felt like she was  _ definitely  _ going to do something stupid. How long would she be able to stay away from Adrien? Just by knowing his identity, he was that much more in danger. What could she possibly  _ do?  _ How long until her feelings became so overwhelming, she used the Ladybug mask to get close to Chat Noir- and Adrien- without either of them knowing the truth, that she knew, that she was  _ using  _ it to further their relationship for her own gain? 

She knew what she was going to do with the knowledge, and she hated it. All of those times that she rejected Chat Noir, she’d been rejecting him for Adrien. And the girl Adrien was in love with… had it really been her all along? Even though  _ he  _ didn’t know that…

What could she do now? She couldn’t just turn a blind eye and go back to the way things were, no matter how much she wished for that to be so. 

~ 

**The Next Day**

Three figures walked down the darkened hall. The one in the front halted. “You will assure me that you will be no problem, yes?” Despite her mask, it was clear this woman was older, much older.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” The boy the older woman had been speaking to shook his head, before looking away. His eyes were a brilliant vermillion, piercing the darkness with flair. 

“I know that you hung onto that wretch a little too long when she  _ saved  _ you. Catching feelings, are we?”

“Hmph.”

“Speak to me in  _ proper  _ sentences, young man. Remember your place.” 

“Yes, Aunt Artica.” The woman smiled, flashing her pearly whites as she stroked the faux fur around her neck. “No. I am not. I am merely keeping up with the appearance of being a civilian. As a villain, I can’t go attack her whenever I want. I still need to keep my illusion safe.” 

“That better be all it is, Strade. It’s about time you took up that blade and sliced that girl in half.” Strade’s fingers twitched. They brushed across the hilt of the blade, but his expression never wavered- blank as always. “This is a prime opportunity. I haven’t just up and taken you from our main base for no reason.” 

“I thought you said this was an order from Doctor Pheonix.” 

Aunt Artica was taken aback for a moment. “Well, yes… but  _ I  _ was the one who arranged for transport, was I not? Don’t be an ingrate, boy.” A shifting figure behind them groaned in a dark, gravelly voice.

**“When?” **

“Shiftorial. You’ll get your revenge for your hand soon enough. You can tear her apart for that.” 

“You should have brought Kitty Blanc. She’s much more suited to stealth operations. I don’t exactly… blend in. And neither does Shiftorial.” 

“Kitty Blanc won’t be needed. She’s too…  _ inappropriate.  _ She has a strange obsession with that Chat Noir, so she wouldn’t be much use if he entered the field. As for Shiftorial… she’ll have to take her  _ true  _ form to get by.” Aunt Artica turned to gaze at the giant monster, an elegant smile stretching across her face. “We’re going to help someone who originally rejected the thought of having anything to do with us.  _ Hawk Moth  _ has finally used our card.”

“Doctor Pheonix said that anyone who rejects us the first time is unworthy of our cause and should be treated as an enemy, to be trampled.” 

“Strade! Dare you question one of the Doctor’s orders?!” 

“No.” Strade fell silent, glancing away from her. “Apologies. I was speaking out of turn.” 

“Good. The heroes of Paris have disappeared, taking Hawk Moth’s miraculous along with it; all he has left is the Peacock.” Aunt Artica produced a small box from her robes, clicking it open. Inside laid a piece of beautiful jewellery. “It has the  _ appearance  _ of Chinese jade. Very tasteful, for the newest prototype miraculous.” 

“You took a valuable prototype?” 

“Strade, do I look like the type to commit theft? No, I did not. I was granted it; Hawkmoth will be the one who decides what to do with it.” She clicked it shut. “The man will have what he desires, mark my words. The peacock miraculous would be an irreplaceable test subject in making more prototypes. As long as we can get our hands on that, our trip here would have been worth it. And, if the Grey Guardian brought her miraculous box… well, I’ll find it.” Aunt Artica stepped forward, into the light. Her silver hair flashed as her earrings reflected the light, small snowflakes made out of what looked to be diamonds. “Anrii.” Before her, a kwami floated, respecting the rules of don’t speak until spoken to. “Devouring Frostbite.” 

The light enveloped her, a cold frost spreading across her limbs as ice rushed across her figure. Her dress became a pale blue with snowflakes, her mask spreading up to make the ear tips of an antarctic fox. Furs draped around the edges of her dress and her neck, dragging against the floor as she walked forward. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked out into the open, turning back to her companions. “I am going to draw out the competition. Shiftorial, find out where the miraculous box is hiding. Strade, be a good little boy and make sure to get a strike off of our opponent for Auntie.” 

Strade stepped back into the shadows as Aunt Artica prepared to sow seeds of chaos. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Let me know what you thought. If you want to read the story centred around Charlotte, feel free to check out Your Miraculous Love! Aunt Artica is literally one of my FAVORITE characters to write. I'm so excited!


	4. Chapter 4

The chaos exploded into being as pricks of ice surrounded civilians. A blasting, cold winter settled over the streets of Paris, smoking cars having slid on ice and crashing into different buildings. “See this, denizens of Paris?! Complaining and struggling with a villain like Hawkmoth… let’s see how you deal with me, children! Auntie is here to make you  _ shiver. _ ” It was true, Aunt Artica was stronger than ever before. The kind of villain that could summon a sudden, torrential downpour of hail and snow all at once, freeze water solid and still have enough power left to fight with ice using moisture in the air. The older you got, the stronger you got, and Artica was no exception to that rule. She wasn’t out of her prime Miraculous years yet. “Now, where are you, heroes?! Come out and play with your auntie!” 

Forming an icicle out of the moisture in the air, she sent it flying at a civilian, who was speared through the chest. There was no chance for survival of a sharp blow like that without the power of an actual miraculous. 

“This is Nadia Chamak, reporting to you live from the scene of what seems to be an  _ akuma  _ attack… but we’ve never seen an akuma like this! It’s stronger than anything we’ve-” Frost crept up Nadia’s body and she began to scream but nothing came out as she was consumed wholly. The microphone in her hand remained unfrozen as Aunt Artica pulled it from her hand, causing the hand itself to shatter.

“I am  _ no  _ akuma. Anyone who dares call me that will receive the same treatment as Nadia, here. A second-rate reporter like this who knows nothing about my abilities but dares to come this close to me is as good as dead.” As Aunt Artica tapped her long, white snowflake-patterned fingernails against Nadia’s frozen head, just as they  _ tinked  _ against her, she crumbled to shards of ice. “But where, oh where, is Ladybug? If you want to live, camera-man, you’d better keep rolling. There’s no akuma to purify; no miraculous ladybug charm to save you from death. Nadia is gone. You will be, too- if you don’t do what I say.” Her gaze was cruel and distant, but the unsightly grin stretching across her face was nothing short of sadistic. “Oh, but don’t get me wrong- Paris is out of baby-league villains. It’s time to play with the big ones now.” 

Strade watched from a building above, glancing down. She was enjoying every moment of her superiority and power. She wouldn’t be acting this way if she didn’t have that specific power- if the tables between her and hawk moth were switched, she’d be just about as quiet as he seemed to be right now. 

“Don’t you think you should hold your words, Aunt Artica? I’ve heard of people’s body parts falling off from frostbite, and I’d imagine you’re about as warm as a corpse. Don’t want that nasty tongue of yours falling out, do we?” 

Artica’s eyes snapped to a figure who had dropped into the town square. Her grey skirt billowed in the wind, her hammer twirling around in her hands. “Grey Guardian.” 

“So you thought it would be a great time to take a trip to Paris too, huh?” The Grey Guardian snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up as if she’d come to some masterful revelation. “Oh, you  _ have  _ to try their bakery food here. I’ve heard it’s deeee-licious. On second thought, though…” She shot forward, arcing her hammer to take on anything Artica would throw at her. “I guess you can’t eat if I knock all your teeth out, right?” 

Artica threw ice shard after ice shard at the girl, only for them to be crushed by the impact of the hammer she was swinging around like it was nothing. As she reached the point where Artica could willingly control the air around her, something came and tore her off her course. 

“Hey, you idiot, are you  _ trying  _ to make my dumb kwami work overtime or something!? It’s already bad enough we had to constantly re-transform on the way over here, but now you’re making me save you from getting frozen? Jeez! You don’t have a damn brain cell in that stupid head of yours, do you!?” 

“Chroma!” 

“Radiant  _ Blaze! _ ”

As they were arguing, Artica sent another round of ice toward them. Five ice shards hurtled toward them. “ **Sting** !” Arcing lightning crashed through each of them, completely melting the weaponized ice. The other two heroes turned to stare at the third. “You’re lucky that I felt like using my super ability.” 

“It’s stupid. How come you can use it three times without having to detransform, but we’re still stuck at one?”

“Well, it’s obviously because I’m better than you.” Aurelia shrugged, shaking his head. 

“The fuck did you say to me?!” 

“It’s not nice to ignore your elders, children!” More shards formed from moisture in the air to the point where Aunt Artica sucked it dry. “Damn… this area is dry. No matter, this is good enough for the likes of you.” 

As the three stared at the shards of ice pivoted toward them, the Grey Guardian angled her hammer. “Hey, Chroma, want a ride?” 

“I said it’s Radiant Blaze to you!” Still, he stood on the flat part, only for her to angle her arms back. 

“Fly free!” She whipped it forward with all of her strength, sending Chroma flying. He crashed into one of the shards, which shattered into fragments. Still, his trajectory was unmoved. 

“Have fun up there,  _ Radiant Blaze!  _ Having two superhero names is stupid and you should just pick one!” Aurelia called as the boy soared through the sky. 

“Come up here and say that to  _ my face you little…. _ ” Chroma’s antagonized screams trailed off into nothingness as he soared far away, having taken care of a good few of the shards. 

“I may have sent him too far.” 

“He’ll be fine, it’s not his first crash landing. Anyway, Aunt Artica needs to go. Got a plan, leader?”

“I was never really a plan type. Wanna improvise?” 

“As long as I don’t have to do any of the thinking.” Aurelia shrugged.

“All right! Let’s go!” The Grey Guardian bull-rushed toward Aunt Artica, who merely laughed as the girl entered her field of control, before realizing too little too late there wasn’t enough moisture to freeze anything on her. She angled her shards downward, aiming at the girl as she flung herself toward her, and forced them in Grey’s direction. She could full a tug; looking up, she realized that Aurelia was floating, the tentacles on his skirt wrapping around the remaining crystals. 

“Send her to space, will you? I hate having to work so early in the morning. I wanted to have a nap and eat more jelly doughnuts, binge the next season of  _ Insatiable  _ on Netflix and play games on my phone.” 

“Got it!  **Feral Charge!** ” A strange, bursting energy surrounded Grey as she drew her hammer back. It lit up with a pink glow and the look on Aunt Artica’s face went from anger to concern for her own safety. Grey’s hammer slammed into Artica’s stomach, sending her flying so fast Grey could hardly see where she went. She heard the  _ crash  _ as Artica slammed into a building, bringing it down somewhere in the distance as it smoked haphazardly. An explosion rocked the city as a result of the impact, most likely from Artica hitting something like a furnace. The snow stopped falling as Artica was no longer there to affect the weather. “Whoops, I think I put too much power into that hit.” 

“Can’t do anything about that. Our cleanup miraculous isn’t here. Pretty sure whoever has it isn’t gonna give it back, though.” Aurelia sighed as he floated down, gently placing the shards of ice on the ground where hopefully they would melt back into water. He took a second to look at them again. “Should I put them in water…? Nah… I guess I might do it if they pay me, but that’s not my job… whoever said I had to be a  _ virtuous  _ hero, anyway?” 

“Should we go look for Chroma, now?” 

“Nah. he’ll find us eventually. Let’s detransform. I’ll meet up with you later, but I’m hungry right now.” 

**~**

“Damn  _ bitch,  _ throwing me that hard… and I’m pretty sure they finished that stupid fight without me, too!” He stood up, brushing the rubble off of him like that fall had been nothing- and it hadn’t. The miraculous had absorbed the impact. That was one of the best parts of his type of miraculous; being kicked around a little didn’t hurt so bad. He looked at the place he had landed- it looked like a cute little balcony. “Sibar, Calm Down!” His Kwami departed from his body, coughing and sputtering as it splatted onto a nearby table. 

“This is all your fault! It may not hurt  _ you,  _ but it damn well hurts for me! Stupid human!” 

“Sorry…” 

“Really, Vincent, when you’re not transformed your personality changes so much.” 

“It’s just what I’m used to. I’m also in unfamiliar territory, so-”

“Um, excuse me?!” Marinette stared at the roof of her house, her jaw agape as her parents called to her from down below, concerned for her safety. As she stared at Vincent and his kwami wondering where the hell this guy had come from, he stared back. “What the fu-” 


	5. Chapter 5

“Oh, sorry. I was parachuting and the strings snapped. Also, this is my new puppy.” He pointed at the Kwami, giving a half-hearted shrug in hopes of seeming aloof. 

“Jeez. Are you an idiot?! Who in their right mind would believe the crap coming out of your mouth?!”

“~|||~||||||||||||!”

“Wait, what?”

“|||||||||||||||||||||!” It seemed the girl was rather angry and exasperated with him as she dragged him to hide behind something. He couldn’t understand what she was saying, as she was speaking to him in a different language. Despite being on a scholarship, he had no proficiency for other languages and his talents laid elsewhere. He watched as two others came out of a hole in the ground- was there a ladder up here or something? And spoke her language as well. She seemed to wave them off, urging them to leave, before heading back toward him and trying to speak more. By the confused look on his face, it was obvious that he didn’t understand her at all. She sighed, and he swore she was about to give up, when she grabbed her phone and began to type. She held it out to him, pressing the audio button.

**Are you a miraculous guardian?**

Guardian? What, like the Grey Guardian? 

“Uh, no…” He shook his head and her eyes narrowed as she tried again.

**I saw you! You crashed at my house. Do not lie to me, you have been transformed before me!**

“I don’t think you’re saying what you think you’re saying-“ She shoved her phone toward him, urging him to type. 

He pressed the audio button and it played back what he had to say. 

_ I have a miracle, but I am not a guardian or anything. I am only a Canadian. _

Marinette stared at the writing in disbelief. Google translate was  _ awful.  _ She wondered how it sounded to him, because she could barely understand what he was saying. 

**As a Canadian, you should be able to speak French.**

_ It's mean! Not all Canadians speak French, you know. It's a country with English domination! _

Was he talking about Britain? Why? 

**I already know it. Tell me why you are here.**

_ Conquest.  _

Wait, was he a villain?! He absentmindedly stared at her, waiting for a response- he had to be  _ really  _ bold if he was just walking into Ladybug’s domain only to tell her he was going to take over Paris! 

**I will not let you take it!**

He stared at the words on the screen for a minute, not liking where this was going. 

_ Look, little girl, I'm eighteen. Jailbait does not interest me, I just want to defeat villains. _

**My house was not a bad guy! I am not a bad guy! If you approach it, I will ask for help! **

Approach what? The villains? Was  _ she a villain? _

_ I will address what I want. A child like you can not stop me. _

His cocky side was creeping out, the one he wore as a hero. He stepped forward and Marinette’s hands flew across the keyboard of her phone as she began to panic. 

**I know a lot of older guys, you do not scare me! I will not let you have me!**

She drew her leg back and slammed it in between his, causing him to gasp weakly as he collapsed to the ground, holding his family jewels. He took firm, deep breaths, but it sounded as if he was wailing in between them. He was like a fish out of water, gasping for air as he rolled around on the ground. “S-Sibar… Knock Out!” Light consumed him and a feeling of happiness flooded him as his pain was eased slightly. He opened his gloved hands, his communicator built into the palm of his suit’s weapons- his hands. He dialled the Grey Guardian, praying she knew French. 

As she picked up, she was in an alley, ready to de-transform as she stared at her hammer which lit up. She clicked something on the head of it and the surface faded into a screen. “Chroma! Are you okay? I was gonna go get something to eat!”

“You… bitch!” He gasped, before holding out his hand to the bluenette. “Just take care of this crazy French bitch already, why don’t you?!”

All he heard was confusing babble as the two began their conversation. “Hello! Are you taking care of our companion?” 

“He  _ destroyed  _ my roof! Who’s going to pay for this?! And who are you?! Why do you have-” She stopped herself. None of them knew she was Ladybug. “Ladybug is the hero of Paris, I’ve never seen you here!” 

“Relax, I’ll write you a check. We’re funded by a sponsor- oh, and we’re not from around here! We’re heroes from Canada.” The Grey Guardian winked. “I’m on a mission to  _ help Ladybug! _ ” 

“Help… Ladybug?” Was this like what Lila had been doing? Lying to everyone about how she was close friends with Ladybug? Marinette couldn’t deal with a liar right now, especially when she didn’t have her miraculous to dispel those lies! “Ladybug has never mentioned you…”

“Ah! You know Ladybug?! I have something I really have to give her! Can you tell her to meet me… ahhhh… can you pick the place? It’s been a while since I’ve been to France.” Marinette was unsure. This could be a trap, designed by Hawkmoth. Still… it didn’t seem like the girl was  _ malicious,  _ per se… and they did have Kwamis. 

“Alright. I’ll have Ladybug meet you at…”

Chroma was starting to get annoyed. He waited for Marinette to finish her sentence before closing his palm. He didn’t want to hear the Grey Guardian’s grating voice anymore. If only he was at home… at his desk… staring at the back of  _ her  _ head… 

As Marinette stared at the rather  _ colourful  _ boy who had landed on her balcony, she realized these people were only slightly older than her. They seemed a little suspicious but more naive and trusting than she was. As for them being foreigners, that held up, as the boy couldn’t speak French. Marinette typed into her phone. 

**I will leave now. **

“Wait, what?! What about me, where am I supposed to go?!” He pointed to himself, but she just gave him a rather livid glare. He backed away from her, before standing on the rail. “F-Fine… I’ll just get out of here, don’t mind me… Crazy french girl.” As he jumped off of the rail, she turned back. She  _ had  _ to get back her miraculous. Could that be what the Grey Guardian was trying to return to Ladybug? But… why would she have it? 

~

“I see that you failed.” Strade pulled Aunt Artica from the rubble, yanking her up by her arm. 

“Why didn’t you provide back-up, Strade?!” She hissed, wiping rubble from her shoulders as she de-transformed, panting. Her kwami formed on a nearby pile of rubble, panting as it struggled, overwhelmed by pain, having absorbed most of the impact meant for Artica. “You were  _ supposed  _ to cut in and kill that girl!” 

“I don’t think I need to take this from a  _ failure. _ ” Strade let her grip slip form his and took a step back. “I was intending on hiding our cards, as surely they were likely to believe you came alone. Now I see that I was foolish and you  _ did  _ need help.”

Sirens wailed in the distance as they glared at one another, a white lock of hair falling in between Artica’s eyebrows as they furrowed, her glare meant to pierce through Strade. “I’m going to-” 

“You can’t do  _ anything _ , Artica. Or did you forget that you’ve used up too much moisture? You’d need to be directly near a water source for any of your abilities to work and even then,” Strade’s eyes moved to the kwami on the ground, “Your kwami isn’t ready to transform back.” 

“Bullshit! I can make it transform, just you watch!” 

“Perhaps I need to take away your power for you to understand the position you’re in…” Strade reached for her kwami, his fingers hovering over the already-exhausted creature before Artica grabbed his hand. 

“Not… my kwami. Not my miraculous.” Strade’s eyes softened and he withdrew his hand. Artica sighed, a sigh of relief before his hands shot out and he ripped her earrings from her ears. She screamed, but the sound that came from her kwami was that of agony- cracks formed in the miraculous and it seemed as if for just a second, Strade’s expression lightened. “Strade!” Artica snapped, her rage building. 

The miraculous in his hands crumbled to dust. The kwami let out a final scream as it faded into nothingness. 

“How dare you  _ destroy  _ such a  _ valuable asset… _ ” 

“It’s not like I’d murdered a  _ real  _ miraculous. That was just a prototype, wasn’t it? You know what I am, Artica. It was a mistake to  _ irritate  _ me. A monster like me needs no miraculous… more accurately,  _ can’t  _ rely on the power of a miraculous.” Strade turned, hopping down from the rubble. “I happen to know you brought a prototype backup copy of that miraculous, so it’s not like I’ve stranded you without one. It will just take you a few hours to get back to the private jet…”

That  _ asshole.  _ That disgusting piece of filth! How dare he make her train yet  _ another  _ kwami?! “You can’t just keep destroying miraculouses when you don’t agree with something that’s been done! Not that a barely human  _ monster  _ like you would understand… after all, you’re a prototype yourself, aren’t you?” 

Strade paused, before turning back to give Artica a wistful smile. “A failure has no right to criticize me on my actions. I will do as I please. I’m hijacking this mission. Don’t get caught by the cops- I don’t want to have to get blood on this sword yet.” 

He leaped onto a rooftop, jumping away as he used them for support. He vanished soon after and Artica crawled away, avoiding the eyes of the crowd as the police came in. 


End file.
